Just a reminder for the new worm farmers who’ve recently graced us with their presence…

If you happen to be one of the lucky few who have discovered an unusual influx of mites in your worm temple, then fear not dear worm farming compadres because it’s likely of little concern.

You see… most of these pesky little arthropods are completely harmless, non-parasitic and don’t bite.

(Well they might if you ask them nicely 😉)

Now of course there are many different species of mites. However, the most common type found in a small home worm poop facility are usually of the beneficial detritivore kind, which gleefully assists with the consumption of that wonderfully diverse banquet of decomposing matter.

Yummmmmmy! 😋

As you may already be aware, there’s much more going on in our earthy aromatic tubs of joy than most realise.

In fact, there’s a whole other exciting world completely invisible to the naked eye chock-a-block full of incredible microbiology doing its thing within a marvelous and fascinating little ecosystem.

The multitude of microorganisms is absolutely astounding and enough to make Sir David do a little excited wee in his pan….

Well you get the picture!

Essentially your worm farm contains a harmonious facultative meeting of worms and microbes filled with bacteria, humic & fulvic acids and fungal mycorrhizae, nematodes and protozoa (just to name a few) all working synergistically in a symbiotic relationship to create a valuable organic medium with a powerful mix of nutrients including vital plant hormones such as auxins, cytokinins, gibberellins, ethylene, and abscisic acid which are essential to help grow strong healthy plants and mineral packed produce.

Full of awesomeness I hear you say… 😎👍👊🤘

I wholeheartedly agree.

So think about it like this (and this is just my opinion by the way, so the grain of salt does apply here)…

Invertebrates such as those ‘weird scary looking spine tingling creepy crawlies that seem to be secretly conspiring to take down your squirm sanctuary’ should actually be treated as an indicator species to help identify your farms current condition.

For example… if you find little mites in abundance, it may be an indication of too much nitrogen (aka overfeeding) / attraction to water rich foods / excess moisture in the farm / a little on the acidic side and possibly a little anaerobic.

Well that’s an easy fix, right?

A gentle fluffing up of bedding, removal of excess nitrogen, adding a carbon source such as shredded cardboard or shredded dry leaves etc and maybe a little sprinkle of buffer such as calcium carbonate (finely crushed egg shells) or worm friendly garden lime will help sweeten the deal and help get your system re-balanced.

But if you go out of your way to deliberately remove or kill the little critters off and keep running your bin the same way prior to doing that… how well do you think your farm will be performing in both the short and long term?

You’ll only be treating a symptom rather than addressing the real cause of the problem, which may then lead to more unwanted issues.

They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

So rather than removing or deliberately killing off the indicator species as a first and final resort, take a moment to assess the situation from a worms point of view and begin making small adjustments to the environment within the farm (eg. bedding / food / moisture levels etc) to get it back to normal again.

I feel this is the best approach when taking care of a living breathing ecosystem rather than interfering with a natural process and trying to control the outcome of what we often incorrectly perceive and ‘believe to be correct’ as this may quickly lead to a revolving door of the same recurring issues.

Please also keep in mind that not all isopods are pests either (think rolly polly / sow bug / pill bug), especially for those of us running outdoor systems. They’ve actually turned up to help believe it or not.

You see, in the diverse and interesting world of worm stewardship, they’re actually classed as beneficial composters because they act as efficient little super shredders helping to further break down the abundance of organic matter.

Whilst doing this, they also create frass (insect poop for the uninitiated), which your wriggly little mates will delightfully consume and help convert to their super duper plant loving nutrient dense vermicast. 💩😋

That’s right. It’s all about the poop baby! 😎👍👊

So there’s no need to smother those poor little frass fornicators with the often recommended treatment of diatomaceous earth or other chitin shell destroying compounds.

In my humble opinion, I feel it’s simply not necessary as well as a complete waste of time, money and really counter productive to the performance of your worm farm.

Happy worm farming legends! 😊👍